Derek's Scaphoid Surgery

This morning started very early for us. 6am alarm goes off and we got ready to head off to surgery.  It was such a nice morning and drive. We got to Gateway Center and Derek signed in and we sat for a little bit. At about 8am they took him back and at about 8:30am I got to go back and sit  with him before his surgery. Derek and I both had no nervous about this surgery at all. As we sat there Derek told me that in the paperwork it said to make sure to wear loose clothing. After he told me that he said "I should have wore my leather suit!". We both started laughing. I think Derek in a tight black leather suit would be a sight to see! 

Derek had told me that the one thing that bugged him was how bad the IV in his hand hurt. He said the nurse said it would be a "pinch" and it definitely was more then just a pinch. 

I left Derek and went back into the waiting room, started reading a photography book and before you know it (45 minutes later) the doctor sat next to me and said everything was perfect. His comment was "one pin and 3 stitches and everything went great". I then sat for 10 minutes or so and they said Derek was awake and ready. (This is the part I HATE!!!) I walked back to see my drugged up husband. With his ACL surgery it scared my a lot to see Derek like that, but with this one I was prepared. Derek was very out of it, but not to bad. 

The nurse went over the leaving instructions then she left Derek and I so I can dress him. I started with his shirt and he was like a little kid. He kept trying to put his arm through the hole but wouldn't wait for me to get the hole in the right position. It took me forever to get his shirt on. After putting on his shirt he turned to me very seriously with no humor in his voice AT ALL and said "Good thing I didn't wear my leather suit" !!!! OH MY GOODNESS! I was dying of laughter! I was almost to the point of crying and Derek was just sitting there. (Later this evening I told Derek this and he said he didn't remember saying that, but he too was laughing after I told him about it). 

Then I had him stand up and put on his shorts. Now mind you I am still laughing from his first comment, after I put on his shorts I made him sit back down because he was just standing there swaying a little. As he sat down once again with absolutely no humor he says "Good thing I'm not driving home" Seriously I was crying of laughter at this point. I could even hear the nurses laughing on the other side of the sheet. I love Derek and I love his amazing personality even after he is all drugged up and had surgery. 

We went straight to Walmart because Derek said he had a massive headache and the nurse said we needed to get Vicodin in him asap to help with pain and his headache. I got him an electric cart, because they had no manual pushing units (wheelchair or anything like it). Yes I was scared to have him drive but he did really good. At Walmart we got him what the doctor ordered....bread, juice, soup, and Vicodin. 

After Walmart it was off to home where the first thing Derek did was throw-up multiple times. He said it was all water. Then he went off to sleep and believe it or not I went off to work! Yes I had to go to work from 1-5pm. I could have gotten it off but Derek insisted that he would be fine just like his ACL surgery. Well he didn't throw-up after his ACL surgery so I was a little scare. I had multiple friends and family call him while I was gone and now that I am home Derek is back to his normal self! 

Another thing about Walmart...Derek was obviously really out of it and I told him to go park somewhere while I went to go get bread for him. When I went to go look for him I found him just sitting in the middle of the isle all hunched over! My poor boy! I felt so bad!

We have been so blessed with the doctors and support we have been given during Derek's surgeries! I just hope that this surgery thing is not a pattern! Derek will now have a loose cast on for 10 days then on the 10th of June he will get his stitches out and have 3 months in a hard cast because the bone has to full heal. It is such a small bone that the slightest bounce could break the bone again so Derek isn't even able to run in those 3 months! Poor guy, he just missed out on his summer of cheap golfing and baseball. 

I guess the next time he thinks about trying to take a charge at church basketball he will think twice! 

Memorial Day 2011

Today Derek and I took the day and went to chase field and watched the D-Backs kill the Marlins. It was a beautiful day in Phoenix. 85 degrees to be exact! I loved hanging out at the ball field all day. Gates opened at 3 and the game went till 8pm. The diamondbacks won by a ton and it was just a fun relaxing day with my husband!

Carts and Samples....

We all know how much we love Costco because of their constant sampling. I have to tell you these past two weeks has been TERRIBLE outside. Why because of SAMPLING! No one throws away their little sample cups which means they end up all over the parking lot and cart crew is in charge of cleaning them up. All day long I am out there putting carts away (which oddly enough has been one of my favorite things to do at Costco because of the freedom and the workout) and cleaning up sample cups.

Today though was a great day for sampling! Today one section of our store was sampling more then the others. The health and beauty department! Instead of cleaning up cups I was cleaning up whitening strips and shampoo samples! Awesome! I came home with 8 whitening strip samples and 2 shampoo samples!

Yeah for health and beauty samples!

Remember Your Endowment Day....

Today Derek and I went to the Temple to do a session. In that session there were many people (especially brides) that were going through a session for there first time. Seeing as it is summer here and our anniversary is only a week and a half away it took me back to three years ago when that was me.......


On Thursday June 5th, 2008 my family and I met at the Los Angeles Temple. I remember being SoOo nervous! I could not handle it! I am very bad at the  unknown.

As I entered the temple I was surrounded by family and friends and I was so comforted by that! I remember being overwhelmed at first, but as I went through the session I was calm. That day made me love the Gospel of Jesus Christ more then ever.

Of course there is no right or wrong way to go to the temple and get married, but this is my advice to my future children...

The best part of my endowment day was that it was my endowment day. I loved that I went through the Temple on Thursday and then got married on Saturday. On Thursday I was able to calmly and collectively go through the temple and enjoy that spiritual time before we were to get married. I loved being with my family as an Anderson and having that special evening with then there. I was especially grateful that my mother was there. She has always given me support through out my life and I told Derek that I want to make sure that we are always temple worthy so we are prepared when the time might come to be able to be there for our children like our families were there for us!

I am grateful for a wonderful husband who encourages us often to attend the Temple so that I might remember the special moments in my life.

I love these pictures of us and our family on that wonderful Endowment day.

I Loved my Endowment Day!

Amazing

I have been trying to achieve an effect for months. Not realizing that it was pretty much impossible with the equipment that I had. Now that I have my amazing lens that I am in love will I am able to do proper backlighting!   Thank you lens because I love this effect and I love this picture!

Finally got my birthday present

I guess due to the tsunami in Japan production has been down on a lot of products including Nikon products. For my birthday this year I wanted a 35mm 1.8/f lens which was $192.00. I have been waiting and waiting for it!  Finally today it came and it is AMAZING! I have tomorrow off and all I want to do all day is take pictures! It is so fun getting good equipment!

Here is one of my first pictures with the new lens! I love the softness on the edges and the sharpness of the eye!

Broken wrist

Derek kept complaining about his wrist hurting so finally he called his doctor and she told him that he needed to get back in and get it checked out. He went in and sure enough it is broken! What luck right! The funny thing is on the first x-rays it showed not broken and on the second it showed broken. Derek asked if he could have done it in the past two months and she said possible but most likely it was broken the whole time and just didn't show at first because of swelling and such.

Now Derek has to meet with a surgeon on Friday to see what we are looking at. The doctor said it could be as little as just casting it for 6 weeks or he could need a pin in his wrist! We are hoping for the cast.
For now he has this really nice brace to wear.

My photography.

I was going through some old pictures the other day and I love seeing how much I have grown in my knowledge of photography and photoshop. I love that two years ago there was something about this picture that I did not like so I don't even think I gave it to the person on their CD. Now after having the knowledge to fix the problem I love this picture!

They say that the only thing you can take with you is your intelligence. I hope there is a need for knowledge of photography in Heaven!

Yuma Day 2

On day 2 in Yuma it was kind of a crazy day. Derek got dressed and went to the lunch for the players. He then came back to the hotel and got ready for practice. At 5pm we went to practice and the pitching coach asked the boys if anyone from day one would pitch again and of course Derek said he would.

They went out to the field and the pitching coach then can up to Derek and said that the General Manager wanted to talk to him (in other words ...kid you are cut). Derek waited and waited and finally the GM came out and Derek said that he told him there were just too many guys there throwing 90mph (which was true). Derek then told him that he was supposed to pitch in the game so should he stay or go. The GM said he could stay.

Right after their talk Jose Canseco came up to the GM and Ozzie Canseco and Jose said to them "This was not the deal....you keep your guys and I get mine. This was not the deal." Of course they could have been talking about anyone, but Derek was the only one cut that day!

The game took place and Derek was supposed to pitch against the B team. As Derek took the field Jose Canseco yelled across the field "NO, no not you yet" Derek waited till the next inning and Jose told him to come in and pitch against the A Team which consisted of both Cansecos! They wanted to hit off him! . It is funny too because Derek pitched to the top of the line up so batters 1,2,3,&4. The first batter came up and whiffed at the first ball. Then hit a little blooper to first base for an out. Then Jose Canseco came up to bat. Now Jose knows the knuckleball and he took the first pitch for a strike. I think he might have been embarrassed so he crowded the plate like crazy and sure enough on pitch two Derek hit Jose in the elbow. Jose knew what he was doing!

Then Ozzie Canseco came up to bat (Ozzie is the one in the picture with the red belt, Jose is the one with the black belt). Ozzie and the GM did not want Derek on the team so Ozzie turned to the GM who was sitting behhind the plate and told him "This one is for you". The first pitch Ozzie whiffed at it and totally missed. Then the second pitch he hit for a pop up to left field for an out. Derek pitched great. It just seems like once again we are on the hunt for someone who wants a knuckleballer. It isn't that Derek doesn't have the talent it is that GM's take a huge gamble in keeping a knuckleballer and this GM was not willing to take the chance!

Why I love you...

I am a huge believer in journaling. I love comments on my blog and I love sharing my life with others but really I blog so at the end of the year I can print out this amazing book about Derek and I. Not only do I blog about our life together, but then I also personal journal on ldsjournal.com. I just love writing things down and being able to read about them later!

I have been on Derek's case since we got married about journaling! I have told him... "Our kids are going to know how much I love you, but not how much you love me." Of course it is a joke to see if he is journaling, but I can't get the boy to write a journal if his life depended on it.

Last night as we were getting into bed I told Derek that from now until our Anniversary (June 7th) I was going to ask him every night why he loved me. Derek is kind of stubborn to emotional things. He would rather just tell me, then be told to tell me!  My hope was to receive answers and blog them since he doesn't journal =) Sneaky I know, but I am sure he would be ok with it.

So I started and told him I loved that he is a knuckleballer =) And I do. I love when he goes out to pitch and I can hear the other team start talking and trying to figure out what he is throwing! It is my favorite! Not to many people throw a knuckleball so a lot of times batters don't know how to hit it and often swing hard and miss. I love when Derek pitches it is amazing to me that he is 26 yrs old and still playing!

Derek then told me one sentence.... "I love you because you slept in the back of a truck with me" It took me a second to realize what he was talking about. Then instantly I thought about our trip to Ohio last year and somehow I totally didn't blog about it so I will have to know.

Last year in April or so Derek and I were in Virginia and Derek wanted to go to a try out in Ohio for the frontier independent pro league. We didn't have much money and or time. So we took the truck (Derek's dads old truck) that has a camper shell on it. Drove to Ohio (which I think was 6 hours) and got there super late at night. Since it was close to a lake the hotel prices were all very high, so we had packed our bed topper in the back with blankets and sheets and pulled into a walmart parking lot. This Walmart was closed and the parking lot was dark so we decided not to stay there. We drove around till we found a 24 hr Walmart and pulled in for the night. We were straight bums! We went inside and did our nightly routine... brush teeth, wash face, and go to the bathroom! Then went back to the truck climbed into the back and slept for the night. It was so fun, and funny to me that we did that. The next day Derek tried out but did not make it so we drove 6 hours back to Virginia.

I love that this was one of the first things that came to Derek's mind when I asked him why he loves me. As you can see we both love baseball. It is a true passion to us both and I am grateful to share this passion with my husband!

Yuma Day 1

We got all packed and out the door by 11am. Got out to Yuma at 2:20ish. It was a good drive straight through the desert of Arizona. As we got into Yuma we went straight to the ball field. Derek said that he went into the locker room and there were many lockers yet there were so many guys there that his stuff was hanging out side the lockers. He told me that that was his first sign they don't want him to stay! 

Of course that took Derek from confident to nervous in two seconds! We found out that the amount of guys trying out was 49 and the amount of guys staying is 23. Crazy! They have to cut half! 

We got to the Spring training practice (which I feel was more of a try out) and each pitcher got to see 3 batters. Derek was pitcher number 10. It took all night to get to number ten. But finally they got to 8 so Derek went out to the bullpen to warm up. The minute Jose Canseco saw him warming up he walked out to him. Jose then spent his whole warm up coaching him and helping him which I thought was amazing because Jose gave no else that kind of attention. 

Derek then went out and pitched. The first batter he faced was an ex-major league player. Pretty much the best hitter I had seen all day. And the reason I knew who he was, because the hitter is huge! Derek pitched to him and the guy whiffed at a knuckleball and it was so funny! Derek said he then struck the guy out but of course strike 3 got called for a ball and the guy got a base hit off of Derek. No big deal though because the hitter basically hit a homerun off of everyone else that day! 

Derek face two more batters and just got discouraged at the end and he hit a batter twice. Opps! 

The crazy thing is that even after he hit a batter the minute he was done on the mound Jose walked right up to Derek and talked with him and coached him again. After the practice Derek and I were walking to the car and I asked him what happens now. He said  "we wait, if I get called tonight I am cut if not then I go to practice tomorrow." We went to dinner with the team at a local casino buffet. Then off to the hotel and we sat in bed and looked at pictures waiting for a phone call. Derek and I both thought for sure he would get cut for hitting a batter twice. We waited and waited and waited and ....NO CALL! 

It was so relaxing to know that he wasn't called but at the same time they only saw 12 pitchers yesterday the other 10 pitchers will pitch today and even though Derek won't pitch today he could still get cut after they see all the pitchers. So once again tonight we will wait for a phone call that hopefully we won't get. 

 

Peanut butter....cures a sticky situation.

Tonight Derek was trying to get some sticky stuff off his shoes. He looked at me and asked "What can get super sticky stuff off my shoe" and my reply "Goo Gone but we don't have any" Then we looked at each other and just lit up and Derek said exactly what I was thinking....peanut butter!

When Derek and I were dating right after his mission I was working at Supercuts. I had asked Derek to babysit Morgan for the day and he said yes. I went to work and Derek was there to watch a 4 yr old little girl by himself.

Morgan of course played and played and played. Derek just couldn't keep up so Derek turned on the cartoons in his bedroom while he watched sports in the living room. After a short amount of time little 4 yr old Morgan came in to tell Derek that her hands were really sticky.

Derek had thought ...sticky from what. He touched her hands and they had the stickiest stuff on them he had ever felt! He asked her what she got into and of course she had no clue! So he followed her into his bedroom to find that she had been playing with a fly/ moth catcher!!!!

Derek then took her into the kitchen and started washing her hands over and over and over. No washing was helping. Then he realized he had to hurry because I was going to be back soon so he called his mother and she told him to use peanut butter for sticky stuff.

When I got off work I walked into the kitchen to find Derek and Morgan at the kitchen sink (Morgan sitting on the counter) with peanut butter all over her little hands and arms.

Derek told me tonight that when he was washing Morgan's hands she sat perfectly still the whole time and she was there for like a hour. He said that he thinks she was probably so scared because nothing would take the sticky stuff of her hands!

So from now on thanks to this wonderful situation we will use peanut butter any time we are in a sticky situation!

Who is my Dad....

Kent Linton Anderson

(Son of Richard and Zandra Kay Anderson) 

My father has ALWAYS been a hard worker since he was a boy. His father passed away when my dad was very young leaving my Grandma Zandra as a single mom to two children. My dad quickly grew up and was doing the man things around the house. It is funny to me, because back then my dad (as a child) would learn things by trial and error or from the neighbors. Now a days we can get on the internet and know the answer to any question we have. My father is one of the smartest guys that I know. You can ask him a question about anything and he will have an answer. 

Like I was saying my dad was busy at work from the day his father passed away. My dad in his early teens became a bag boy at the grocery store to help his mother pay for things. He did all of the automotive repairs and he kept up the house. At age 21 he started his journey with the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. There he spent many years as a Deputy Sheriff. He was at first on street patrol, then a Deputy at Mira Loma (which was a county jail in Lancaster, Ca),  then went and drove the TST buses (buses that take the criminals from jail to there court hearings, then back to jail) when Mira Loma closed down, and then he went back to the Mira Loma facility when it reopened as an immigration court. 

My father has worked and worked and worked. I don't know how many times I remember my dad saying "I picked up a double shift". Yet he was still always there for us! 

One of my favorite things to do when I was young related to my dad's work was we would take all of our dogs to Mira Loma (when it was the jail) and the inmates would wash our dogs to make some money! We would always drop them off to my dad and pick then up when he would call. 

I also remember being a young girl and going our to the shooting range with my brother and dad and shooting targets! It was fun but I tell you it was the worse peeing in the desert as a little girl!

Now my dad has a great house, great yard, good cars, and no job.......he had a doctor's appointment and like that he is off on medical leave. I do believe his retirement date is sometime next year, but he has gone off duty on medical leave for the rest of his time with the Sheriffs Department. 

I asked him how he felt and my father said "scared"! Seriously when is my dad scared? He said it is all new to him! Which is so true. My father has been a working man pretty much his whole life, so you are now telling him he no long has to work! That is crazy to think. I am much like my father. I have had a part time job with Costco this past month and have been calling in everyday to see if I can get more hours so I completely understand how he feels. 

I talked to Derek today (crying as I was talking) about how worried I was about my dad! I also was worried about how my dad could be retired!!! It scares me to think that my parents are getting old! Derek then had to remind me that my dad is retiring very young and that he isn't that old, but I still worry. 

For some people retirement is a blessing, but for my dad I don't think that is the case.My mom and I were talking what my dad was going to do with his time.  

I told my mom that she and my dad should go house hunting and find a cheap, ruined house and my dad has two years to fix it up for Derek and I to live in =) To bad Derek and I have no clue where we are going to be in two years but it is a good idea!

 I just hope that this retirement thing ends up being a blessing to him and that he might be able to get used to taking it easy, because after all he deserves it!

I love my Dad and am grateful for the example that he has given to me of being a hard worker!

(My dad at his Academy Graduation) 

Down 100lbs in one day!

Have you ever wondered how to loose 100lbs in one day?

Well let me tell you how.....
1) Eat a healthy breakfast so you don't pass out!
2) Go to your local Costco
3) for 4.50 hours gather carts in the sun, prime time would be from 1pm to 6pm on a Sunday
4)Drink a TON of water
5) Move no more then 5 carts at a time, if you try 6 carts you could loose control and hit a car!
6) Take one 15minute break to cool down just enough to realize you are half way through your shift and are very tired!
7) Do all of this in 90 degree weather here in Mesa, Arizona!

Yes today was my first time ever doing the carts at Costco! I have to say it really wasn't that bad! I actually enjoyed it a lot. Time went by pretty quickly and even though it was really hard work physically, it was a lot less work mentally!

I really did enjoy the carts but can't wait to see what it will be like when summer has hit it's high of 115 degree weather!

Maxed out!

I think it is so fun to write about the things you did when you had no kids! Well this is definitely a thing we can do because we have no kids. Derek and I have been trying to hold off as long as possible to run the AC so we don't have huge bills for many months! With it getting to 115 degrees during June, July and August we figured to save a few bucks we would not use our AC as long as we can handle it. 

Today is May 7th and I told Derek "It is so hot in here" and he replies "It's not that bad" 

Sure enough I go to our AC control and as you can see we are maxed out on our heat which means it is at least 91 degrees in our apartment! The thing that stinks is it is so much cooler outside but where our apartment sits we don't get much air flow. So as I write this I sit here sweating and thinking.....The things we do when we are a young married couple! 

I want a dog, but not until I can have this one!

Derek and I have talked about dogs since before we were married.. I have ALWAYS had outside dogs. Derek on the other hand has had inside and outside. He has talked of one dog that he liked the most and his name was Magic. Magic was a white with Black spots Great Dane. Derek also had Jesse his chihuahua, and Lucy the toy poodle. As for Jesse and Lucy I liked then but I didn't love them. But I fell in love with magic and I didn't even know him. Ever time Derek and I see a great dane we have to make sure each other sees it! 

A month ago or so we went to Costco and there was a help dog that was a Great Dane and Derek and I were in two different parts of Costco. We ran to each other and made sure that we both saw this beautiful black dane! Oh she was pretty...

As we were at the park yesterday taking pictures of one of our friends who is pregnant we were driving out of the park and I gasped as Derek was driving. He got mad at me (because he thought he was going to hit something ) and I told him ...look! And there was the most beautiful dog I have ever seen. I told Derek to pull over so I could take pictures. I asked the owner and he said yes! He said that he got him in Oregon for $2500.00! Yikes! 

As I walked up to the Dane I held out my hand and was almost scared! He was big!!!! I mean I have bull mastiffs, but they had nothing on this dog! I just realized that if he jumped I would be on the ground! I bet he would have been at least 6 foot standing on two legs! 

As scary as he was I loved him and have told Derek many times, I don't want a dog until I have a yard big enough for a Great Dane!  

Derek's Last Men's League game

Today was Derek's last game in his men's league. It has been a fun league where Derek was able to practice his knuckleball, but hopefully he will be going to more competitive baseball for the summer. Here are some pictures of this side arm knuckleballer and his base hit.